I, like my fellow “basic,” caffeine-addicted classmates, am a huge fan of Starbucks. But as a frugal student, I face a trade-off between having money in my wallet and having my coffee craving satisfied. There is no denying the fact that my craving often wins in the end, and I have the Starbucks Gold Card in my wallet to prove so. However, there is a way to balance the coffee-wallet dilemma that I am surprised so few of my friends know about.
Step 1:
Buy a Starbucks gift card and link it to your Starbucks account. Be sure that whenever you purchase coffee/tea or food you use the card to pay. You cannot link a credit card to your account (although you can set up auto-reload linked to a credit card). Create an account here. Fun fact: currently Starbucks is offering a promotion that enables you to get one free drink when you open a Starbucks account ~yay free drinks~
Step 2:
Accumulate five stars (make five transactions at Starbucks). Once you have earned five stars, you will be at the Green Level… where the magic happens.
Step 3:
Any time you order a brewed coffee (hot or iced) or a tea, you will get free refills for as long as you stay in the store. This is ideal for those days where sitting in McLennan will slowly kill your soul. Just go to the Starbucks of your choice and enjoy bottomless coffee for as long as your stomach can handle it.
Image courtesy of giphy.com
If straight coffee is not your calling, fear not my friends. You can order a brewed coffee with syrup. This alternative to lattes has less calories from milk, has a stronger coffee flavor, is half the price, and comes with free refills. Next time you want that pumpkin spice latte, just remember you can get a coffee with pumpkin spice syrup and get them coming all day.
Image courtesy of giphy.com
More Reading on Starbucks: